J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit: Setting, Characters, Conflicts

Setting: The setting of the story takes place in the lands of Wilderland. It is through Wilderland that the hobbit and the dwarves travel to retrieve their lost treasure. As they move on through Wilderland, they encounter different people and different problems, making it more of an adventure.

Characters

Protagonists

Bilbo Baggins- he is the main character of story. The tiny hobbit is convinced by the great wizard Gandalf to undertake a long journey with thirteen dwarves to help them retrieve their lost treasure. Bilbo, at first, seems to be of no use to the dwarfs, almost getting them killed by the giant trolls. Eventually he shows his value to dwarves by saving them numerous times from death and imprisonment.

Thorin- He is the most important dwarf. His father was the king under the Mountain of Lonely Mountain. After the fall of his kingdom, the treasure that belonged to his father was lost to the evil dragon Smaug. He leads the other twelve dwarfs in hopes of regaining the treasure and his kingdom.

Gandalf- He is the great wizard who helped organize the adventure. At first he travels with the dwarves and the hobbit but leaves them because he has other business to attend to.

Beorn- is a large man who can change shapes into other animals. He lives by himself in large house with animals who he can speak to. He helps the dwarves and the hobbit after they have escaped from the goblins. He later joins them in the Battle of the Five Armies to help defeat the goblins and the wargs.

Bard- He is the man who slays Smaug and becomes the new master of the town where the men dwell on Long Lake.

Antagonists

The trolls (Bert, Tom, Bill)- they capture the dwarves and Bilbo with the intention of eating them. They are saved when Gandalf creates confusion between them (the trolls) allowing the adventurers to escape.

Goblins- they also capture the adventurers but not before Thorin could kill the Great Goblin and then escape. This caused them to pursue the group and their anger towards them led to the cause the Battle of the Five Armies.

Smaug- He is the evil dragon who takes over Lonely Mountain and all its gold within it. He is stirred from his sleep by Bilbo and while trying to destroy the town on the river, he is killed by Bard.

Exposition: The general situation is revealed by the narrator who tells the story in the third person. The narrator makes direct comments usually explaining parts of the story that won’t be made clear until later in the novel. Maps show the lands in which the group of adventurers is traveling.

Type of Conflict

There is a person vs. person conflict between the dwarves and Bilbo at the beginning of the story. It is gradually resolved after Bilbo proves his usefulness to them. There is also a person vs. person struggle between the adventurers and just about everyone else they encounter in their travels (trolls, goblins, spiders, and Smaug), including some who would later become their allies (wood elves, and the men).

Inciting Incident: This occurs after Gandalf introduces the thirteen dwarves to Bilbo. He convinces Bilbo to undertake a journey with them knowing that Bilbo will be of much use to them later on in their travels.

Turning Point: After Bilbo escaped from Gollum and the Goblins, the dwarves had new found respect in Bilbo. They began to listen to his suggestions and follow his actions. Their respect in him helped Bilbo find worth in himself.

Climax

The climax of the novel comes at the Battle of the Five Armies. Here the dwarves, wood elves, and men join in fighting against the goblins and their allies.

Resolution

Occurs after Thorin dies and his cousin Dain is crowned king. All the goblins of the land have mostly vanished and each of the separate groups live in peace and unity.

Plot Summary

After the inciting incident, the group comes upon three trolls who capture them but are later turned to stone when Gandalf confuses them, causing them to stay outside when the sun comes up, turning them into stone. After seeking refuge in a cave, they are captured by the goblins but escape after some of the goblins are killed including the Great Goblin. While fleeing the goblin tunnels, Bilbo is left behind and he meets up with Gollum. This is where he finds the magic ring and uses it to escape the Goblin tunnels and Gollum himself. That incident resulted in the turning point of the novel. The goblins quickly tracked down the travelers and almost killed them but the eagles had came to their rescue carrying them far from the goblins. They sought refuge in the house of Beorn where they rested and then replenished their supplies. While traveling the group was captured by the giant spiders. Bilbo used his ring to help his friends escape but not before Thorin was captured by the wood elves. Later the rest of the group (except for Bilbo) was also captured by the wood elves. He once again used his magic ring to free all the dwarves and devised a plan to help them escape. Each of the travelers were fitted into a barrel (except for Bilbo) a floated down the river. There the group was nursed back to health by the lake men and began the trip to Lonely Mountain to reclaim the kingdom and the treasure. After they reached there they encountered Smaug. He would be later slain by Bard when he tried to destroy the town. News of the treasure reached far and wide and the wood elves and the men went to try to claim it. This led to a conflict which almost led to battle. Before the dwarves and the wood elves and men could fight though, the goblins, wargs, and wolves attacked them. The next incident is the climax which is followed by the resolution. Bilbo returns home to his hobbit hole after more than a year of traveling and adventure.